Automatic trap nest



Feb. 3. 1925. 1,525,266 v. c. Box

AUTOMATIC TRAP NEST Filed Oct. 18, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 3

V. C. BOX

AUTOMATI G TRAP NEST 5- Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1925 June for Feb. 3. 1925.

V. C. BOX

AUTOMATIC TRAP NEST Filed Oct. 18, 1923 .5 Sheets-Sheet 5 no 4 2 t s m 2 4 5. w l e e h s 5 1 X on 5 fi vm m AF 5 2 9 1 2 .b e F Mm 3 a w W W MW] il 0 w m a 4 H w z 4 00 M 77 7 if 7 IL s- 6 My z Z [I o 7 I. o 4 N a .J 7 a 4 z a a z a z 5 |-||..-|||--|||l|||||||| 6 6 $4 a p 4 9 a z Z 7 I I I 1|. c1|'|1|||l| Patented Feb.3, 1925, t I l H 1,5251% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VIRGIL 0. BOX, 03 BLUE RIDGE, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC TRAP NEST.

Application filed October 18, 1923. Serial No. 669,426.

To all whom it may concern: eration of the description following taken Be it known that I, VIRGIL C. Box, a citiin connection with accompanying drawings zen of the United States residing at Blue illustrating an operative embodiment.

Ridge, in the county of dollin and State of I n said drawings 55 Texas, have invented certain new and useful Figure l is a view in front elevation illus- Improvements in Automatic Trap Nests; trating the improved nest;

and I do hereby declare the following to be Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the a full, clear, and exact description of the line 22 of Figure 1;

invention, such as will enable others skilled Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the 60 in the art to which it appertains to make line 38 of Figure 2;

and use the same. Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken This invention relates to an automatic on the line l of Figure 3;

trap nest particularly although not neces- Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the sarily adapted for use by chickens. line 5-5 of Figure 1; 65

It is aimed to provide a novel means Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the whereby it may be determined which hens line 66 of Figure 2; are laying and how often, so that the owner Figure 7 is a sectional view through the may determine the hatchability of the eggs recording means taken on the plane of line of any certain hen and the vigor and pro- 77 of Figure 6; 70 ductiveness of the offspring and thus enable Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the the poultryman to care for and feed ecoline S-8 of Figurec5; nomically and to breed for any desired Figure 9 is a detail perspective view of characteristics in a more effective manner. the marker which is attached to the hen Another object is to provide a novel means wing; 75 to trap a hen in the nest in order to pre- Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view vent entrance by other hens while the nest through the marker proper and showing its is occupied and in order to compel exit of bars connecting the ends of the wing clasp the hen, after laying, through the proper together; wa Figure 11 is a detail section taken on line so A third object is to provide a novel record 1111 of Figure 9, and means to determine which hens are laying Figure 12 is a detail sectional view taken and a means to insure movement of the hen on the line 1212 of Figure 41.

from the nest in such a manner as to posi- Like reference characters designate like tively produce a record that will positively or similar parts in the different vlews. s5 identity the laid by any certaln hen, In carrying out the lnvention, a box or and further to provide a novel marker housing 10 is provided which as best seen in adapted to be carried by or attached to a Figure 2, is generally of L-shape. The enwing of the hen. trance door to the housing is designated 11 A further object is to provide a removand the exit door is designated 12. The 90 able receptacle having elements to succeshousing has a lateral extension at 13.

sively receive the eggs and with the recep- The lower wall of the housing as desigtacle operable through the exit of the hens nated 1 has a nest 15 secured thereto as by from the nest and other elements to posisoldering and which depends fro-m said wall tively close the egg escape in the bottom of 14:. The nest 15 is of any suitable shape but 95 the nest while the hen is on the nest. preferably frusto-conical, and cut off and A still further object is to provide a novel open at the frustrum as at 16 so that eggs means to lock the nest against the entrance laid in the nest 15 may travel into pockets of hens after the receptacle is filled with 1'? of an egg carrier generally designated 18. eggs. The housing 10 is preferably supported by ion T arious additional objects and advansuitable legs 19 to the end that the parts tages will become apparent from a consid- ,below the same will be elevated that all may adjacent its top pivotally mounted in brackets 13 :tas'tened to the housing. Rod

12 has a U-sha} ed portion 14: intermediate its ends suitably secured to the door 11 and passing through a slit 15 of said door in order to engage both inner and outer sides of the door and thus brace it. door 11 is normally adapted to hang. in a vertical position and its ontward movement is limited by step pins 16" entendinginto the doorway and carried by the housing. Ihe distal edge portion of the door 11 as at 17 is notched to facilitate entrance of a hen and to guide the hen in entering the nest, and a step 1.8 is fastened to the housing adjacent said doorway, preferably of a size to accommodate a single hen at a time. The hen in entering the nest will alight on the step 18 and then pass into the nest 15 under the doorway at notch 11', moving the door by the pressure of her body against it. its the hen leaves the nest, her body will contact avith a guide door 20 which is pivoted by means oi? a rod 21 in brackets of the casing, so that such door may swing on a vertical axis intermediate steps 23 and 24.; carried by the housing. Rod 21 is similar in shape to the rod 12 and secured to the door 20 in the same manner as rod 12 is secured to the door 11. The door 20 is normally maintained in engagement with stop by reason of a contractile spring 2% which is fastened to the housing. Thehen is adapted to pass the door 20 at its distal end and through a way, which is exposed, and into which an extension 26 of the door 20 projects. The extension 26 may consist of a Ll-shaped frame, as best shown in Figure st, having its tines 2T slidabl y passing through and frictionally and adj ustably held in a slit 28 of the door 20. By reason of this construction of the door, the hen in lcavin the nest is adapted to brush against the door 20 and its tines 27 which will guide her into contact with a recording tape29.

Tape 29 is adapted to be roller 30 and on to a roller over a roller 32. Rollers means of shafts 33 and are removably journaled in brackets generally of U-shape and suit ably fastened to and within the housing 10. Roller 31 is rotatable on a shaft 36 rigidly and r'emovably fastened to the brackets 35 and to a second bracket 8'7. On the said shaft 36 a ratchet wheel 38 is fastened and a pawl 39 pivoted rolled oli" of a 31 and to pass 30 and S-2 by on the roller 31 coacts with the ratchet wheel 38 and is urged into engagement therewith by a spring to on the roller 3 Pawl 391s moved out of engagement with the ratchet 38 after winding of shaft 86 and before operation can take place. The recording tape 29 may be of paper or other suitable material and the surface of the roller 32 over which it passes is coated with carbon or otheritransfci"material as at ll so that as the hen engages the tape at the portion thereof in engagement with carlion -11, by nleanscarried on the hen as will be later described, the record will be made against the inner surface of the tape. Frame carries a pressure spring 12 which engages the tape wrapped about the roller 31 so that the tape may be held smoothly andntirinly against roller lll'ie hen lea'ves the trap through a doorway 4 3 closed normally by the door 12 and the door 12 is held closed so that a hen cannot enter through the end of the trap,

Door isadapted to swing on a vertical L and is hinged by means of a rod at similar to therods 12 and 21 are fastened to the door 12 in the same manner as the rods 12 and 21 are fastened to the doors 11 and 20,'respectively; at is jonrnaled in brackets carried by the housing 10. The escaping hen will.

swing the door 12 outwardly on its pivot and such door will close through the act-ion of a contractile spring T9 hereinafter more specifically referred to. At the front of the housing 10 a wall -18 is provided. abore the door 11 and pivoted to a cleat thereon as at is a latch lever 5'1-. having a central arm 52 weighted as at- 5'3 and which arm is movable in a path intermc diate' stop pins One end ot lever 51 is provided with an arm at and the other end with a blade 5?. Normally the arm 56 as shown in Fig ure 1. is in engagement with a L shapedtrip 5? fastened against the inner surface of the door 11 so that when the hen swings the door 11 inwardly, the' trip 5? by its engagement with arm will tilt the lever 51 moving the arm to the other side of the vertical to that shown in Figure 1 and in contact with the stop 55, accordingly:

moving the blade 57 on the opposite side of the door 11 to the stops 16, so that after a hen has entered, the position of blade will prevent opening of the door 11, and thus entrance of another hen, until the lerer 51 has been returned to its normal position of Figure .1. 'lhereturnfi of the lever 51 to the normalposition of Figure 1 is brought about through the opening move ment of the rear door 12 the hen and a draw cable 58 fastened to the lever 51 and to the door 12. passing loosely through an opening 59 in the wall t8 and over direction rollers 60 and 61 provided respectively on the wall 48 and within the housing 10 adjacent door 12. A spring 62 may form part of the cable 58 and enable the cable Rodand 55 provided on wall to lengthen should the hen be of undue size when passing through the doorway 4:3 and thus requiring the opening of the door 12 to more than the usual degree and further adjustment may be provided by means of perforations 417 in the top of door 12 to positively release latch lever 51 thus making the adjustment adaptable to hens of different sizes.

A shaft 36 is positioned below the housing and is there journaled in a frame consisting of sections 63 and 64 fastened together and to the housing. This shaft supports a rigid ring 65 and a disk 66 which, together with the cups 17, constitute the egg carrier 18. The egg carrier 18 is rigidly secured to the shaft 36" and is adapted to be rotated by a cable 67 under influence of a weight 68. The cable 67 is fastened to and wrapped a number of times about a pulley 69 fastened on shaft 36 and about a pulley 70 fixed to the lower end of the shaft 36 of the roller 31 and about a direction pulley '72 journaled on a bracket 73 depending from the extension 13.

The rotation or turning of the egg carrier 18 is controlled by stops 7a and 74 extending from the ring 65 and cooperating with a latch 75 having ends 75 and 75". The weight 68 is held against descent so as not to rotate the egg carrier 18 when the latch 75 is engaged by one of the stop pins 74-. Latch 75 is pivoted as at 76 to the frame section 63 and is adapted to be actuated by a rod or cable 77 connected to said latch and to a crank 78 rigid with the rod 41 below the housing 10. A return spring '79 may be fastened to a bracket 7 9 and to the end of crank 78 opposite to that to which the rod 77 is fastened. The pins 74 and 7 P are spaced equidistantly apart and the same distance apart as the pockets 17. Stop pins 751 are spaced midway between stop pins 74, and successive actuations of door 12 will withdraw the latch 75 out of engagement with the adjacent pin 74 and place the latch 75 into the path of movement of adjacent pin 74. Pin 7% by coming into engagement with latch 75 arrests further movement of carrier 18 until the hen has passed. out of rear door 12. In this arrested position a pocket 17 comes into registry with opening 16 in the bottom of nest 15 thus allowing the egg that may have been laid in nest 15 to gravitate into pocket 17 while the hen is passing through rear door 12. ment of 18 the egg may gravitate to 17 without any danger of being crushed. Then the hen has passed the rear door 12 spring 79 returns door 12 to its normal closed position and returns latch 75 to its normal position and releasing 75 from engagen'ient with 745 thus allowing receptacle 18 to continue its movement until latch 75 By thus arresting the moveengages 'tltcncxt pin 74 and moves 17 out of register with 16 and brings 66 to position that closes 16.

Means is provided to lock the door 11 against opening when all of the pockets 17 have been filled. To this end a lock lever 80 is provided, being pivoted at 81 to a bracket 82 depending from housing 10. This lever 80 has a locking arm 83 slida-bly disposed through an opening 84 in housing 10 whereby it may assume a position on the opposite side of the door 11 to the stops 16 A trip lug 85 depends from the disk 66 and at the proper time is adapted to engage the distal end portion 86 of lever 80 so as to rock said lever and thereby project locking arm 83 against the interior of the door 11 V and thus prevent opening of the nest until the same has been reset.

The pockets 17 have cushioned bottoms 87 held in place by straps 87 which are continuat-ions of pockets 17, said straps be ing bent into the horizontal thereby making a spring supported bottom that will prevent the eggs breaking as they fall into pockets 17. The pawl and ratchet connection at 38 and 40 is provided so that winding of the tape 29 will not be effected incidental to resetting of the trap.

In the operation of the trap, with lever 51 normally in the position shown in Figure l, ahen alights on the perch or step 18 and then enters the housing 1.0 and nest 15 through the way covered by door 11, swinging such door 11 inwardly. This inward movement of the .door shifts the lever 51, by engagement of the trip 57'" with arm 56, into position where the blade 57 is disposed against the inner surface of the door 11. thus preventing entrance of another hen into the trap while it is occupied. After laying the egg, the hen leaves the nest, thus engaging the door 20 and its extension 26, guiding the hen so that means carried by one of her wings will make recording contact with the portion of tape 29 in engagement with the carbon surface or coating at 41. After passing the tape 29, the hen brushes against and forces the door 12 open and effects her escape. As the door 12 opens, this draws the cable 58, thus tilting the lever 51. back to the position shown in Figure 1 so that the door 11 may be opened and the trap entered by another hen. Also as the door 12 opens, it swings the crank 78 which tl'n'ough the medium of the rod 77, moves the latch 75 out of engagement with the adjacent stop 74. Thereupon the weight 68 is free to draw the cable 67 downwardly, thus rotating the shaft 36 and carrier 18 so that the portion of the tape 29 bearing the record will be wound upon the roller 31 and an unused portionof the tape presented for the record of the succeeding hen. After the lever 75 disengages the ltiClj acent stop 7 4 door 12 and stops pocket 17 in register with opening 16 so that an egg may gravitate from nest 15 through escape 16 into pocket 17 hen the hen has cleared the rear door 12, spring 79 returns latch to lts normal position, closes door 12 and releases latch 75 and allowing carrier 18 to move until 75 engages the next stop pin 74 and pocket 17 is. moved out 01 register with egg escape l6. and 16 is closed in laying condition for the next hen. iVhen through successive operations of the machine, all of the receptacles or pockets 1?, are filled, stop lug 85. engages lever v and tilts the same' thereby projecting the arm 83. in front of the door 11 and locking the door 11 and the machine until the eggs have been removed from the pockets 1? and the trap reset.

The marking means carried by a wing of the hen t0 OOaCt with the tape 29 may be of the form shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11. Such means consists of a suitable clasp body 80 of bendable metal or other material adapted to be bent about the right wing of the hen. It is better held in place by the provisionof an adjustable strap 81, integral with it, in connection with a fastening loop 81 The clasp has through its overlapping end portions, suitable openings 82 adapted to register and to receive a "fastening means to permit attachm ent. of the clasp to chickens whose wings vary in size. Through any selected two of the openings 82 as shown in Figure 10, a bar 83" is passed having an upse head 83 to fasten it to one side of the clasp. This bar above the clasp detachably receives a bar 84 secured thereto by a bolt or bendable wire 85 passing through suitabl openings of series 86, and by lugs 85 which bar overlaps bar 83". On the bar 83 a rubber butter or sleeve 87 may be provided so as engage the wing of the hen and prevent chafing or irritation thereof. A marker wheel 88'is j ournaled on the bar 84" and has projections 89 whose distal surtaCes are adapted to make the record by engagement with tape 29, at the portion thereof in contact with the carbon 41 carried by roller so that the record will appear in carbon on the surface of the tape opposite to that engaged by the pins 89. Pins 89 may have. their distal surfaces of any suit able configuration, at the present time being adapted to make dots and dashes. The sizes .of the dots and dashes of the different markers will vary so that each hen will have a separate marker or means of identification to malre her record on the tape, to the end that it may be determined which hens are laying and how often, by observing and comparing .the different records on the tape of the trap or the tape on a number of traps used in common by the hens.

The marking wheel 88, may be dispensed with or it used, be capable of removal after unifastening element 8.5 to permit bar 84: to be removed. The marking will then be etfected merely by the distal end of barv 8 L.

Various changes in the details may be resorted to provided they fall within the, spirit and scope of the invention.

lVhat is, Claimed is 1. A nest having an entrance door, a latch member, means to shift said latch member through openingot the door whereby a part of the latch member will engage tle door and prevent opening thereof while the. nest is occupied, and means to restore the latch to norn al position operable by a hen upon leaving the nest.

A nest having an entrance door adapted to swing on ahorizontal axis a latch lever pivoted intermediate its ends and on a substantiallyhorizontal axisat a right angle to the first mentioned axis and having an arm adjacent one end and a blade adj acent the other end, means on the door engageable with said arm through opening thereof to tilt the lever and arrange the blade in latching relation therewith.

3. A nest having an entrance door, a latch lever pivoted intermediate its ends and ha ing an arm adjacent one end and a'blade adjacent the other end, means on the door engageable with said arm through opening thereof to tilt the lever and arrange the blade in latching relation therewith, and means to maintain the lever in either nor mal or latching positions, and means operable to restorethe lever to normal position through escape of a hen from the nest.

4. A nest having record meansrising from the floor the nest operable by the hen as she leaves the nest and disposed at one side of her path of travel, and means to direct the hen laterally into engagement with said means. i

5. A nest having record means operable by a hen as she leaves the nest and disposed at one side of her path of travel, means to direct the hen laterally into engagen' ent with said means, consisting of a horizontally swinging door, means to limit movement of the door, and means to urge movement oi the ,door to normal position.

6. A nest having record means operable by a hen as she leares the nest and disposed at one side of the path of travel, means to direct the hen laterally into engagement with said means, consisting of a .horizontally swinging door, means to limit movement of the door and means to urge movement of the door to normal position, and an extension means for said ,door to accommodate operation .by hens of ,difierent sizes.

trap e thaviag liai a erizontally swinging door within the housing, the nest having a way adjacent the distal side edge of the door, recording means engageable by a hen in line with said way, and said door being engageable by the hen and adapted to direct her laterally into engagement with the recording means.

8. A trap nest having a housing, a horizontally swinging door within the housing, the nest having a way adjacent the distal side edge of the door, recording means engageable by a hen in line with said way, said door being engageable by the hen and adapted to direct her laterally into engagement with the recording means, and means operable by the hen as she leaves the nest to advance said recording means for engagement by the succeeding hen. V

9. A. nest having a recording tape engage able by a hen, rollers over which said tape passes, a driven shaft on which one of said rollers is journaled, a ratchet on said shaft, and a pawl on the latter roller coacting with said ratchet, and a pressure means to engage the tape about the latter roller.

10. A. nest having a receiver provided with pockets, means to urge rotation of the receiver, stop means on the receiver, a latch member engageable by the stop means, means under control of a hen leaving the nest to release the latch means to permit advancement of the receiver, a trip door for the nest, a latch and means on the receiver engageable with said latch to secure said door against opening after a cycle of movement of the receiver, and means on the receiver engageable with said last mentioned latch.

11. A nest having a rotatable receiver, a ring on which said receiver rests, a frame of which said ring forms part, a shaft rigid with the receiver and journaled on said frame, means to urge rotation of the shaft, means under control of a hen leaving the nest to impart a step by step movement to the receiver, and a record means engageable by a hen and adapted to be advanced through movement of said shaft.

12. A nest having an opening for the escape of eggs from the nest, an egg receiver normally closing said opening and also provided with egg-receiving means, and means operable by the hen as she leaves the nest to move the egg-receiving means into registry with said opening.

13. A nest having an opening for the escape of eggs from the nest, a means to receive said eggs, and means on the first mentioned means normally preventing escape of the eggs into the egg-receiving means operable by the hen as she leaves the nest to permit the escape of the eggs.

1%. A nest having an egg discharge opening, egg receiving means normally preventing discharge of the egg from the opening, means to move the egg receiving means to egg releasing position as the hen moves toward the exit of the nest, and means to prevent movement of the egg receiving means from egg receiving position prior to the hen leaving the nest.

15. A nest having housin a nest member therein, an outlet door for the housing, a frame secured to the housing and including a ring, a rotatable disk disposed on said ring, egg receiving pockets carried by said dist and adapted for step by step registration with the nest member, removable closures for the pockets, a shaft journaled by said frame and rigid with said disk, a pulley wheel on said shaft, a cable passing over said pulley wheel, a weight to urge movement of the cable and rotation of the shaft, guide pulleys for the cable, stop members on the disk, a latch in the path of movement of the stop members, and means under control of the movement of said outlet door to move the latch into releasing relation with said stop members, and record means for engagement with a hen adapted for advancing movement through the rotation of said shaft.

16. A marking device consisting of a body attachable to a hen, a bar having a section extending through end portions of the body, a buffer surrounding said section within the body, a bar section attachable to said first mentioned section, and a marker carried by the bar section.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VIRGIL C. BOX.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE Box, R. H. FULLER. 

